US Stove Hot Blast Furnace Problems

Robert, How are you doing with that Hot Blast? Not very well I would think. Let me know.

Don

Don, the stove is better than from the factory in that I can throw on four shovels full of coal and turn on the blower for approximately ten minutes. In addition, I throw a few pieces of dry oak on the top. The stove temp usually stays within the 300-400 range with a stack temp of 500-600 with the damper nearly closed and the draft cut to approximately 1/2. I can make due with this stove for some time to come. I use very little wood, but I live in the woods if need be. I 've looked at some of the stoker-style stoves and wish that I had done more research. Oh well.

I to learned the hard way and didn't do the research needed. Also I didn't find this forum until after I had installed the Hot Blast. I went through all that stuff with the blower. There was no way I was going fight with that stove day after day. I took it out and was able to get my money back from Tractor Supply. To there credit they back up there desire to have a satified custumer. US Stove on the other hand was no help at all.

I was so frazzled. I thought I was doing something wrong. I consider myself a pretty handy guy and couldn't understand why I couldn't get the stove to burn.

I ended up buying a Hitzer and had zero problems from day one. I thinK I did loose the fire once or twice, but that was because of operator error. I tried to get to long of a burn one time and I can't remeber the other. This stove is made to burn anthricite and does it very well. I'll tell ya I was alittle nervous the first night I fired that stove. You wouldn't beleave how good it felt to go down in the basement the next mourning to see a wonderful bed of hot coals staring me in the face. I knew I wasn't loosing my marbles, I just had a piece of crap stove.

I'll tell ya this. I wouldn't been able to figure out what the problems was if it wasn't for this forum. I was doing everything the way I was being told my forum members and still had no luck. I don't know what I would have done, given up suppose.

Good Luck
Don

I have a model 1600 that I use mostly wood in. It does not have a draft blower. I have tried anthracite coal and it was touch and go, but I finally got the hang of it by leaving the ash door open. It worked pretty good. I am amazed at how clean anthracite burns. Once the fire gets going you can go outside and look at chimney and no smoke, and no odor. Around here there is mostly soft coal. Plenty of soot and smelly smoke. Unfortunately I have to buy hard coal in bags and it is very high at $200 per ton. If I could get it bulk, I would use it exclusively.

Several years ago I had another 1600 that had the draft blower on it. It was mounted on the ash box door. I tried hard coal with it and it worked just fine. It takes a little while to start a hard coal fire, but once you get it going the heat is great.

Hi all this is my first post but I've been lurking here about 2 yrs.GREAT FORUM! I got my hot blast (1557m) last year and it took me about 4 months to learn how to burn it.I have a fairly good draft(.08@15 F) and it goes down from there.Last year I had to leave the ash door cracked open to get this thing to reach 350 stack temp to heat my house.(stick on temp gauge)So this summer I drilled a second hole in the ash door(2' dia.)To adjust the draft I made a round peice of sheet metal with a screw and a spring for friction.Now I leave the factory air open all the way(most of the time) and adjust the air with the new adjuster.I know this may not be Kosher but It works well and doesn't ever run to hot.Although these hot blast furnaces are not ideal for anthracite coal then can work well.I am sitting here today and it's 17 outside and 74 in here.I'm about 50 miles N of Bimghampton NY. BTW last year before I bought my hot blast I prepaid for my fuel oil 3406.00.My coal bill for last year was 1789.00 and I used 138 gals of oil(in the spring and fall I use some oil when the draft is low).BOY AM I A HAPPY CAMPER.

THANKS ALL FOR YOUR ADVICE OVER THE PAST YEARS

DON

Fist of all ,I couldn't believe when I first looked at your pics that you didn't get into my basement and take a picture of my furnace right down to the wall and the hot water tank ! Wow ! Where do you get your coal ? Is the blower in the door working good like that ?Did you hook up the thermostat and how well does it work? P.M. me if you could with the details. Bud

thinking of buying a coal wood furnace for my house, im trying to gauge the cost of using coal compared to wood or pellet furnace, you figured it , im a noobie. Nothing wrong with learning, so the reason im doing this is cost. i work construction, which dies in the winter and with last years $600 plus a month n/gas ouch and broke. could use alittle advice thank guys

If you can give us a little info. What size system is in your house now(BTU's)?Do you have an extra chimney?Do you have room for a stove in the house,and so on.
DON

Or you could go to http://www.woodpelletinfo.com/calculator/ for a rough idea.

I am thinking of hooking up a blower to the ash door of my hot blast 1500.

Has anyone thought of using button thermostats to monitor for overtemps on the furnace face or on the stack? If the proper temp button could be found then they could be connected in the thermostat circuit to open on overtemp preventing an overfire.

Simple control circuit that I think would make this mod alot safer to use.

Ive been burning ood in my add on wood coal furnace in the basement 12 yrs.Last night i went to my brothers house for xmas.his house was 76 and outside it was 35(northern ohio)Questions
1.my system never gets house that warm,although we have same size furnaces and sqare footage
i own a colonial 2600 sq ft Why?
2.i dont have return air duct hooked into my blowers,should i? would it make house warmer?
3.I draw air from basement for blowers.should i install cold air ductwork into my sytem?
4.my chimney is seperate8x12 and flue from woodstove going in is 6 inch.should chim flue be smallerto match flue pipe,and if it is will it make stove work better?Instaling a 6 inch flexible pipe up my chimney would be expensive,time consuming and frustrating,and it better be worth it
5.should i install blower motors in the ductwork?some rooms at the other end of house are cold.my woodburner is right next to and hooked into my main pleneum.thanks in advance for any info

The thing that would help the most is return ducts.Trying to heat cold cellar air up is much harder than heating return air from the floor of the house.
DON

don,thanks for reply.should i hook into cold air return as close as i can to original plenum of cold air or just go straight up into cold air duct and let the cold air duct return air to cold air plenum.cold air return right above stove srvices only a few rooms.my thought is,if i hook into cold air plenum near furnace,its going to suck back in cold air from basement thru the vented door on furnace.Mike

I have mine on a seperate return(10").If you hook it to the main house return it won't work as well without a feed side ck flapper.
DON

Great Information and thanks for the pictures but you didn't mention the website or I missed it.

Thanks,
Stew

Hello Everyone, I know that this is a coal burning group, but I was curious if anyone has had luck with the Hot Blast Furnace burning wood? It seems like not the stove to go with for coal, however I wanted to see if anyone tried burning wood in it and how it performed. Thanks for the advice.